Rubrics The place for rubrics and how we want to use them in the curriculum
The possibility of using the “6 + 1” writing rubric and rubistar.com (also, using these rubrics across the school curriculum for writing assignments) Ciitical Friends A protocol based approach to studying other teachers’ materials and helping them troubleshoot ideas
I learned about this at Klingenstein this summer and it looks promising – I’m planning on doing some sort of pilot with it and then I’ll let you know how it goes…here is a quick link to a presentation of it: http://maha.tc.columbia.edu/moodle/file.php/21/KLING_CRITICAL_FRIENDS09.ppt Usage We talked about the possible need to standardize usage expectations, but it was mostly a discussion, not a conclusive finding
Two poles – skills versus holistic – emerged and we basically came down on the need for balance Diagnostic Using the same test for grammar as we use for the end of the year so we can asses how students have progressed
Also using the data to determine strengths and weaknesses of incoming students Greening Talked about how we have examples of greening awareness in the curriculum from books such as the Transcendentalists, poetry, and the Diary of a Young Girl Daniel Pink The idea of using a writing portfolio to help with symphony – lots of teachers use them
How students “play” with language with poetry, but also how they act out scenes from texts, plays, etc
We felt that we generally used Pink’s concepts already, and discussed the need and value of naming them within our maps.
In this discussion, Mike discussed Grant Wiggin’s “Understanding by Design” and how that informs our maps Curriculum Goals
1. Curriculum work for this year: We agreed that—to the degree we have time—we would work on the following goals during the year: a.Decide at the school level and then at the grade level if we want to used a standardized rubric like the 6 + 1 traits, or if we will make specific rubrics for specific assignments. b.Discuss what common writing assignments we will have at each grade level. c.Meet by grade level to discuss writing assessment, which includes not only the above discussion on rubrics but also assessing model student papers.One exercise in relation to this would be for each teacher to grade the same essay and, then, to compare individual evaluations through discussion.(When gathering sample essays for this exercise, it is important that teachers see the specific assignment that was given by the teacher.)Another exercise would be to begin building “quality banks” of essays: that is, at each grade level we would have a copy of what is an A paper, a B paper, and a C paper for common assignments.These same essays in the bank may also serve as models for students. 2. Atlas: Clarification on some of the problems we discussed yesterday related to filling in the map a.“Essential Themes and Objectives”: John King is going to change the title of this top box to read “Essential Themes and Questions” in order to eliminate the confusion with the word “objectives.”This box should have two or three or four essential theme statements or questions directly related to the title of the unit.For example, with the unit we looked at yesterday, The Individual and Society—great unit by the way—we might have questions like the following: ·In each work read, what responsibility does the individual have to his/her society? ·In each work read, what is the society’s responsibility to the individual—consider, for example, the role of the Prince in Romeo and Juliet? ·What comparisons might be drawn among the works read about how the various authors view the relationship between the individual and society?
The other objectives that are presently listed in the 8th grade unit should then be moved to the “Content” box on the page.
On skills, please continue to follow my instructions and cut and paste the appropriate department objectives for skills.I think it’s important that somewhere on the map the larger objectives towards language
The place for rubrics and how we want to use them in the curriculum
The possibility of using the “6 + 1” writing rubric and rubistar.com (also, using these rubrics across the school curriculum for writing assignments)
Ciitical Friends
A protocol based approach to studying other teachers’ materials and helping them troubleshoot ideas
I learned about this at Klingenstein this summer and it looks promising – I’m planning on doing some sort of pilot with it and then I’ll let you know how it goes…here is a quick link to a presentation of it: http://maha.tc.columbia.edu/moodle/file.php/21/KLING_CRITICAL_FRIENDS09.ppt
Usage
We talked about the possible need to standardize usage expectations, but it was mostly a discussion, not a conclusive finding
Two poles – skills versus holistic – emerged and we basically came down on the need for balance
Diagnostic
Using the same test for grammar as we use for the end of the year so we can asses how students have progressed
Also using the data to determine strengths and weaknesses of incoming students
Greening
Talked about how we have examples of greening awareness in the curriculum from books such as the Transcendentalists, poetry, and the Diary of a Young Girl
Daniel Pink
The idea of using a writing portfolio to help with symphony – lots of teachers use them
How students “play” with language with poetry, but also how they act out scenes from texts, plays, etc
We felt that we generally used Pink’s concepts already, and discussed the need and value of naming them within our maps.
In this discussion, Mike discussed Grant Wiggin’s “Understanding by Design” and how that informs our maps
Curriculum Goals
1. Curriculum work for this year: We agreed that—to the degree we have time—we would work on the following goals during the year:
a. Decide at the school level and then at the grade level if we want to used a standardized rubric like the 6 + 1 traits, or if we will make specific rubrics for specific assignments.
b. Discuss what common writing assignments we will have at each grade level.
c. Meet by grade level to discuss writing assessment, which includes not only the above discussion on rubrics but also assessing model student papers. One exercise in relation to this would be for each teacher to grade the same essay and, then, to compare individual evaluations through discussion. (When gathering sample essays for this exercise, it is important that teachers see the specific assignment that was given by the teacher.) Another exercise would be to begin building “quality banks” of essays: that is, at each grade level we would have a copy of what is an A paper, a B paper, and a C paper for common assignments. These same essays in the bank may also serve as models for students.
2. Atlas: Clarification on some of the problems we discussed yesterday related to filling in the map
a. “Essential Themes and Objectives”: John King is going to change the title of this top box to read “Essential Themes and Questions” in order to eliminate the confusion with the word “objectives.” This box should have two or three or four essential theme statements or questions directly related to the title of the unit. For example, with the unit we looked at yesterday, The Individual and Society—great unit by the way—we might have questions like the following:
· In each work read, what responsibility does the individual have to his/her society?
· In each work read, what is the society’s responsibility to the individual—consider, for example, the role of the Prince in Romeo and Juliet?
· What comparisons might be drawn among the works read about how the various authors view the relationship between the individual and society?
The other objectives that are presently listed in the 8th grade unit should then be moved to the “Content” box on the page.
On skills, please continue to follow my instructions and cut and paste the appropriate department objectives for skills. I think it’s important that somewhere on the map the larger objectives towards language